Shadow on the Wall
by EasternWolf23
Summary: A new mutant is discovered. A girl that can summon the dead and manipulate dark matter. Scared and confused, who will break through to her first; the X-Men or the Brotherhood? Will she decide to be good, or evil? She will have to fight to find herself, because she has many choices to make; and one wrong choice, could ruin everything.
1. Chapter 1

~Disclaimer: I do not own X-Men. ~

~Chapter One~

It was always the fear of going to sleep; the fear of dreaming. When she slept, she was plagued by the dead; spirits all howling in her head. She couldn't see anything; she was all alone in the swirling abyss of darkness. It was like she could feel the darkness crushing in on her. Faintly, she could hear voices calling her name. It was so quiet she could have just been imagining it.

"_Lilia, Lilia…."_

Her eyes snapped open. She sat up quickly as her breathing sped up. She couldn't see anything; it was all pitch black. She began to hyperventilate and was quickly spiraling into hysteria when a male voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

"_Lilia, it's all right; you need to calm down…"_

She shook her head and blinked a few times, and when she went to get up, everything was dry again. Confused and a little scared, she proceeded to get ready. She threw on a band T-shirt, some shorts, and ran a brush through her hair. With that, she unlocked and opened the door; and instead of the boy who had been calling her, she ran into one of the attendants that worked at the orphanage.

"Miss Lilia, you are waking up awful late. Sleeping in again are we?"

Lilia just glared at the older woman; and she returned the withering look.

"Can it be that you have still not learned your lesson? What a shame; I suppose we must _teach_ you again how inappropriate it is to sleep this late."

"You mean in what way I should be punished today. In case you forgot, today is our 'day off', so there will be no potato peeling or chores for me today. In any case, if that's all, I'll just be on my way."

"Wait right there, I haven't said you can go yet!"

"Oh, my apologies; but I really just don't care." Lilia walked away and scoffed at the incredulous look crossing the woman's face. When she got outside, she began to run; and she continued running until she reached two other girls. "Melissa, Teresa; how are you two awake already?" The girls laughed and Melissa hugged Lilia as a greeting.

"Don't tell me you forgot already!"

Lilia shook her head and furrowed her eyebrows together. "What is it that I was supposed to remember?" Teresa sighed and shook her head.

"We were going to go back to _that place_. You know, sneak off again?"

After a moment, Lilia's eyes sparked with remembrance. "Oh, right; I packed my bag the day we discussed it. I just have to get back to my room to grab it." At that, Melissa looked concerned.

"You know they won't let us back inside until afternoon, unless it's for an emergency."

Lilia smirked, "When has that ever stopped me? Teresa, you come in with me and cover me; Melissa, wait outside my room, by the big tree." The two girls nodded and departed. Lilia quietly opened the door and snuck in with Teresa following closely behind. They made it up one flight of stairs before Teresa shoved Lilia around the corner. Suddenly, Teresa started wobbling around, clutching her head. Lilia saw an attendant walking up to her.

"What is your name and what are you doing in here? Don't you know that during this time you are supposed to be outside?"

"Yes I know, but my head really hurts; I was just wanting to go lay down in my room for a while."

The young woman wavered for a moment.

"Well, all right; I suppose this once I can allow it. Don't lollygag getting to your room, though."

"Oh, no ma'am; it won't take me long,"

A nod and a few wobbles later, Teresa and Lilia were back to moving silently. Up one more flight of stairs and into the room they went. As Lilia grabbed her bag, she began to laugh. Teresa shook her head and leaned against the wall.

"What on earth is so funny that you would be laughing at a time like this?"

"I don't know how they always fall for your little acts. I guess you just aren't enough of a trouble maker for them to not trust you." Teresa opened her mouth to say something; but before she had the chance, they heard footsteps going down the hall. "C'mon hurry, out the window; you first Teresa." Teresa opened the window and jumped out onto the nearby tree. Lilia threw her bag down to Melissa, who caught it. Then, she also jumped onto the tree and began working her way down. By the time both their feet touched the ground, they heard the door open. The girls were good at moving fast do to their little adventures. The three of them quickly moved to the back of the property. They had snuck out so many times in the past that they had figured out the best way to leave without being noticed. They would move the loose stones in the wall and make a hole big enough for themselves to fit through. Then Teresa would go through and Lilia would pass her the bag. Melissa would be next and Lilia last. After Lilia went through, they moved all but one smaller stone back in place. The small hole they left was just to make sure they would be able to get back in with little difficulty. They turned to the forest behind the house and ran in. Melissa had made a map to their discovery. It was a little clearing with a small cave nearby. There was a small spring in the center. They were nearly out of breath by the time they got there. Lilia and Teresa walked over to the cave while Melissa sat by the water. The two girls kneeled and prepared to replenish their stock.

"All right; what kind of stuff did we get this time?"

Lilia opened up the backpack and began pulling items out of it. "This time I was able to grab more drawing paper, some notebooks, another lighter, a box of matches, a box of pencils, and today's lunch." Teresa nodded, scanning over the inventory.

"Not a bad addition to the loot."

With that she grabbed food for herself and Melissa and walked to the other side of the spring. Lilia stayed by the cave and looked over the supplies they had gathered. They had been stocking the cave for months with supplies. The whole thing began the third time or so they had snuck out. The three of them immediately agreed that it would make a perfect meeting place. So they began occasionally grabbing things that would not be easily missed. Just little things that there was a surplus of and that would make life a bit more convenient. Once every couple of weeks, they would go out and restock the cave. The three girls had it in their minds that if they ever felt they were treated badly enough, they could use the stock as supplies to run away. However; none of them wanted to be rash. The orphanage may not have been great, but it was still a warm bed and a plenty of meals. Lilia smiled at their success in the matter and proceeded to eat her own lunch. Teresa and Melissa went over to sit with Lilia as she pulled out a deck of cards. They sat playing for a while, and Lilia leaned back against a tree. "I don't want to go back. It's not as if they'll let us stay for much longer anyway. I'll be seventeen in a couple months, and they kick you out at eighteen; so what's the point?" The other two girls didn't say anything for a while. Teresa was the first one to look up.

"So don't go back, then. There's enough stuff here for you to take that will keep you going for a while. You're good at taking care of yourself; but, we all know Melissa wouldn't do well. She's just too timid and nervous; and I couldn't leave her all alone. It might be better for you to leave, though; you get treated worse than a lot of us."

Lilia just sat there, thinking it over. She actually had the opportunity to leave; the opportunity to leave and never go back. She cracked a smile and stood up. "I hope you two won't miss me too much." At that, both Teresa and Melissa looked up at her with sad but knowing expressions. The sat and watched as Lilia began putting things into the backpack. When she had everything she thought she would need, she turned back to the other girls. "I'll stay for a little longer, but only until you leave." So they sat back down and tried to come up with light conversation. All of the sudden, they was a startling amount of rustling coming from the other side of the clearing. The girls stopped their chatter and turned to see what it was. One of the orphanage administrators and two police men appeared. The three girls stood up quickly.

"Well, well, well; look what we have here; three girls trying to run away?"

She looked over at the cave.

"The items they stole should be in there."

One of the men went over and looked around the cave. The girls stood frozen, except for Lilia who was discreetly nudging the backpack further behind the tree. The police men looked at the girls and slowly walked closer.

"Now girls, if you quietly come with us there won't be any problems. We just want to take you back to the house."

No one moved for what seemed like forever. Then, Melissa slowly took step toward the officers. Teresa jerked with surprise.

"Melissa what are you doing?"

She was shaking and looked like she was about to cry.

"I can't afford to be tossed out of another place, and neither can you. If we mess up again, they could send us to someplace worse."

With that she turned and went off with one of the officers. Teresa looked torn; she kept glancing back and forth between the way out and the officer. The officer moved forward and gently grabbed her arm. She flinched back, but didn't fight as he pulled her away from the clearing. Before they left, he turned back to look at Lilia.

"Now you wait here, we'll be right back."

The administrator watched them go and waited for the sounds to diminish before turning back to Lilia with a smile.

"Oh don't worry about them. Of course they will be sufficiently punished, but I know you were the ringleader behind this incident. "

She paused, pretending to think; while doing so, she began to walk towards Lilia

"Now, what should we do with you? I don't think mere chores would do the trick this time."

Lilia backed away; she knew she looked like a cornered animal at this point.

"Stay away from me; I'm not going back."

"Oh dear, you don't have a choice."

She snarled out the last part and pulled handcuffs out of her pocket. She had probably gotten them off one of the officers. Lilia prepared to fight, until she realized that she had been backed up against the stone wall of the cave. When the administrator lunged for Lilia, she threw up her hands in defense and closed her eyes. Suddenly, everything went quiet. Lilia felt a gentle whisper of air on her face. It was silent a moment more; until the attendant let out a bloodcurdling shriek. Lilia's eyes snapped open and it took all she had not to scream herself. In front of her was a woman in an old fashioned dress. She had her arms stretched out; as if she was blocking the path the attendant had been taking for Lilia. The scary part was that you could almost see completely through her! After a moment, the woman disappeared; it was almost as if she just faded away. The attendant was sitting on the ground shaking. She looked at Lilia with a mixture of disgust and fear.

"What _are_ you?

She ran past the woman and grabbed the backpack as she past. She continued running into the woods. As she left the clearing, she heard the officers enter the area. The fear of being forcefully taken back fueled her even more. She didn't know where she was going or what she would do. At that moment, she wasn't even sure what she was more afraid of; others, or herself. 

~Well there's chapter one! As always I'm sorry if it is boring, but it is kind of a background and setup chapter. I hope you liked it and I would appreciate feedback. ~


	2. Chapter 2

~Disclaimer: I do not own X-Men. ~

~Chapter Two~

"So why did you call us in here again, professor?"

Jean, Logan, and Scott had all been called into professor X's room. No one else had been allowed in; so naturally, everyone was curious about what was so important. However, the only one who would do something about it was Kurt. The more a secret was kept, the more he wanted to know it. He had become quite good at sneaking around without the others noticing. He was careful to be quiet as he teleported near enough to hear the conversation.

"There is a new mutant; her powers surfaced recently and she seems scared. She moves around so much that it's difficult to get a clear reading on her. I need you to track her down."

"Do you know what her powers are?"

The professor shook his head.

"No; she is doing well containing them. Right now it seems like they only surface when she is scared or feels like she is in danger."

The three of them stood for a moment considering; while at the same time, Kurt was moving in closer. New mutants always made him curious, so he tried to teleport into the storage room in order to get closer. It was a small space behind a closed door, but somehow he got in. It was much easier to hear everyone, even if he couldn't move. He could tell that Jean was somewhat confused.

"Professor, why did you only want to tell us? I understand if you only want certain people to go talk to her, but why hide it from the others."

"I fully intend to inform the rest about the girl later. However, I believe it would be best to keep her under the radar until we discover the nature of her powers. I suggest you leave whenever you are ready."

Without a word, they turned and began to leave; only to be stopped again by the professor.

"However, before you leave; I would like to ask for you to also take Kurt along with you. I fear that if he stays, he might spread the word to everyone."

At that moment, the storage room door burst open. Kurt, along with a multitude of cleaning supplies, came crashing out. He looked up at the two annoyed and two slightly amused faces staring down at him.

She wasn't worried about getting on the train; what she was worried about was the huge crowd of people. She was skittish, and every time someone went past her, she covered her face a little more with her hood. The line for tickets was long, but she wasn't foolish enough to take the risk of sneaking on. Lilia had been staring at the ground for the longest time, trying to ignore the stares burning into her. She raised her head slightly, and turned her head ever so slightly. There was a young man with shades and a cap. At first glance, all he was doing was browsing through the magazines; but Lilia could feel him watching her. She tried to brush it off, but she still felt uneasy. So, she looked to her other side. At first, she didn't notice anything out of the ordinary; until she noticed a man with a biker jacket. Unlike the other man, he was not hiding the fact that he was watching her. Suddenly, she felt cornered; she backed out of the line and turned to walk out of the ticket house. When she realized that the men were following her, she readjusted her backpack and walked faster. When she got outside, she ran.

Jean saw Logan and Scott get outside after the girl ran off. She went over to them and gestured for Kurt to do the same.

"Well, that didn't work out how I thought it would."

"So what should we do now?"

Jean sighed.

"The only thing we _can _do; follow her and hope we can calm her down."

After Jean got everyone started in the right direction, they split off to look for the girl.

Lilia was taking a rest from running, while at the same time making an attempt to hide.

"What is _with_ these people? I don't even know who they are!"

When she peered out from her hiding spot, she gasped. The girl and one of the men were closing in; but, they hadn't seen her yet. She turned and proceeded to run into the nearby forest. After a while, she didn't even know where she was. You couldn't tell where the forest began and where it ended; she slowed to a walk. When she heard a strange noise behind her, she whirled around. When she didn't see anything, she began walking again; but she watched her surroundings more closely. Then, out of nowhere; there was a puff of smoke and a boy about Lilia's own age appeared in front of her. Lilia let out a yell and tried to back up; as she did she tripped over some tree roots.

"Nice job Nightcrawler; you scared the girl."

Lilia's head whirled around to look at the man behind her. It was one of the men she had seen earlier; the one who had been openly watching her. She darted up as quickly as humanly possible. The man's face twitched slightly as she backed away.

"Listen, we aren't here to hurt you."

Lilia narrowed her eyes when he moved towards her. "Don't take another step." He didn't; but soon after that, the other man and a girl about the same age came running in.

"Logan, I don't think you're helping much."

She kept her eyes on the girl, who seemed to be trying to calm her down.

"You don't have to fight us; we just want to talk with you."

Lilia didn't move or make a sound. She was so confused; she didn't know why she was fighting these people. She didn't know if it was because she was afraid of them or for them. "What do you want with me? You don't know me, so why on earth would you want to talk to me?" The girl seemed to sense and opportunity.

"You don't have to be afraid of us. Recently, you noticed certain… abilities begin to surface. We were all like that once, too."

Lilia didn't like any of this, not one bit. They already knew too much about her; but at the same time, what she was saying seemed to make sense. "You guys are freaks, too?" The younger boy recoiled slightly at the word freak, but Lilia paid no mind. The girl shook he head.

"Not freaks, mutants; there is a difference."

Lilia considered this for a moment. "Then prove it to me; that I'm not just some freak."

The older boy went closer to the girl and whispered to her.

"I'm not sure this is a good idea."

She just gave him a look, and he nodded. The man suddenly stepped forward and metallic claws slid out of his knuckles. Lilia cringed back, thinking he would strike her.

"Logan, you're going to scare her more like that!"

He snorted, but then almost looked like he felt bad. The claws retracted. Next the younger boy just stepped back.

"She's already seen what I can do."

"Show her again Kurt; _all _of it."

He hit what must have been a button of sorts on his watch and Lilia watched in armament as he suddenly became blue and grew a tail. Then he began to teleport in different spots all around them. When he stopped, he hit his watch again and reverted to looking normal again. The girl took a step forward. She raised her hands and some rocks began floating and started moving slowly in a circle. She slowly put the rocks down.

"I can do that and read minds."

Lilia nodded in acknowledgment and turned to the remaining boy. "What about you; what can you do."

"I can't show you out here. The best place to do it would be if you came with us."

Any trust that had been built immediately began to deplete. This one, she did not trust. She didn't like his cold demeanor or not being able to see his eyes. The girl seemed to grow nervous at the darkening of Lilia's face.

"Why don't you come with us; we can help you."

Lilia narrowed her eyes. "How?"

"There's a school where mutants can go; you can learn how to control it, and even get stronger."

Lilia backed away, finally noticing how close they had all moved. "No, I don't want it to get stronger; I didn't even _want_ it in the first place!" Backing up a little more; she squeezed her eyes shut and grasped her head. The girl backed up a step.

"Please, calm down; if you get worked up you'll just lose control."

The man moved forward in front of the girl.

"Listen kid, we're offering you help. If you keep running away, it'll only get worse."

He was trying to be comforting, but she was too scared to comprehend what he was saying. She felt cornered again; she needed a way out. She opened her eyes a slit and saw the man starting to reach for her. An image of his claws flashed into her mind. Lilia instantly panicked. "No, stay away from me!" At the same time, she swung out her are in order to lash out. However, something happened that none of them expected. As her arm went out, an orb of dark matter flew out of her hand and hit Logan. As he fell back, Lilia looked at her own hands. Tears were in her eyes, but not falling. Without another word, she turned and ran. Scott started to go after her, but Jean stopped him.

"We need to worry about Logan first; then we can try and find her again."

Somehow, she didn't get lost on her way back to the train station. She bought the ticket she had intended to before she was flushed out. She was still out of breath as she got on the train; she had nearly missed it. She was on her way out of that cursed city; she was off to find a new life.

~So far I am feeling fairly confident about this story. I want to thank GothicPrincess77 for reviewing my first chapter. ~


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